DF is the clear winner for me. Nothing else has since come close to providing the virtual life that Daggerfall did. And it's not something I can easily sum in words - the scale, the economy, the feel of the towns and shops, the houses and ships.. the feeling of emerging from a dungeon into this open world and it's snowing.. utterly wonderful.

But you had to use your imagination - the political intrigue was well hinted at in the manual and the letters, but in reality it wasn't as fleshed out as it could have been. Cardboard cut out NPCs didn't help immersion.. nor did the HALT! guards.